Trying to make a brew that SWMBO will LOVE...

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wheeliechicken

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She likes malty. I like bitter and hoppy. I've been able to find middle ground with a well balanced amber, but after brewing an ESB and APA for me I wanted to do the next one more to her liking. Her favorite style of store-bought brews is Oktoberfest. What would be a good style to brew that is similar to Oktoberfest, but also one that I can brew with extract (+spec. grains) and Ale yeast (I'm not lagering yet). Any suggestions?
 
My SWMBO is similar. I have found that she is generally a fan of Ambers. I just yesterday brewed a Scottish Export 80/- that she really loved the smell of as I was transferring to primary.
 
any of the Scottish schilling beers would fit the bill. 60/- (light), 70-/(heavy) or 80/-(export)

malty and yet balanced.
 
I'd go with a mild...or an Irish Red. All about the malt!
I got the Smithwicks clone from AHS...TOTALLY hated their hops schedule, so I re-arranged and trimmed it into style for an Irish Red, and it came out freeken awesome. Very Nice and Malty...very red, and very good!
 
What about a "mocktoberfest"? An ale, but using the octoberfest type ingredients and a nice clean fermenting ale yeast at the lower range of the temperature for the yeast.
 
I agree with the scottish shilling suggestions.

Hell, I just brewed a simple blonde ale with a scottish yeast and it came out very smooth and surprisingly malty! (half the batch was with WLP001, it was not anywhere near as malty tasting)
 
I was also thinking of a Scottish or Irish Ale. You could also brew up some sort of bitter on the maltier side. A proper Southern Brown Ale or Brown Porter also fit the bill.

Yeah, and nobody says you have to brew to style. Consider an Oktoberfest sort of recipe with a British yeast strain. It won't be an Oktoberfest, but it could be nice. Half the fun is playing around.


TL


TL
 
Good suggestions. I'll have to start formulating some recipes.

From what I just looked up on wiki, its hard for me to tell the difference between a scottish 80/-, Irish red, or just a malty english bitter (that's not so bitter)? I'm not necessarily trying to hit a style, just wondering about ingredients, i.e. grains/extract/hop varieties/yeast (I've only used safale dry yeast so far).

Thanks.
 
I got my SWMBO a dubble a while back and she loved that. So I have one in the primary now. Its really malty and a bit sweet, easy on hops but they are still there and a nice alcohol feel as well
 
I have found most women who do not like standard beer will go for a spiced Holiday Ale type. It is low hopped and has some spices and plenty of sweet malt.

Dan
 
My wife will try a sample of whatever I am drinking if I offer it, homebrew or commercial........ but the only thing she will ever go to the fridge and open for herself and drink the whole d*mn thing is a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Dunno why, since its pretty well-hopped, but my guess is because it has a very "clean" taste. It has some flavors that make it distinct without being too dark or strong.

So I would make a decently hopped, crystal malted, American Pale Ale.
 
What about a "mocktoberfest"? An ale, but using the octoberfest type ingredients and a nice clean fermenting ale yeast at the lower range of the temperature for the yeast.

+1. Use a clean, low-ester yeast - like US-05 - and ferment it long and cool. If you have a basement like mine, it's ~60F right now. That's great! Nottingham will also work well at low temperatures and ferments with low esters.

Cheers,

Bob
 
Something we all skipped over is a good Steam Beer/California Common. Those always struck me as very much like an Oktoberfest - malty, dry finish, clean, but fermented at ale temps. Of course, that's probably what the "mocktoberfest" is.


TL
 
I make a mild ale, very simple, quick, malty and delicious.
6.6 lbs light malt extract (syrup)
4 oz black patent malt
4 oz crystal malt
4 oz. roasted barley
1 oz fuggles (60 min)
Safale s-04 yeast
and if you want a greater hop presence you can dry hop lightly, I do this and achieve a bonus on the aroma. The dry hopping is out of the style but that's ok. The beer is ready in 3 weeks.
 
Good suggestions. I'll have to start formulating some recipes.

From what I just looked up on wiki, its hard for me to tell the difference between a scottish 80/-, Irish red, or just a malty english bitter (that's not so bitter)? I'm not necessarily trying to hit a style, just wondering about ingredients, i.e. grains/extract/hop varieties/yeast (I've only used safale dry yeast so far).

Thanks.

There are not huge differences between scottish 80/-, Irish Red and a malty English Brown Ale (Bitters have a more pronounced hops). Mainly it comes down to the yeast character. A good English Brown or Mild should have noticeable fruity esters, Scottish Ales tend to be much cleaner, more like a lager, while Irish Red is in between but with its own distinct character.

Using dry yeast S-04 is a good English Ale yeast, US-05 works well in a Scottish Ale and Nottingham can be made to work in an Irish Red, though its not the best choice. Grains an hops will be similar between the 3 though the Brown will use chocolate malt for the color and Scottish Ales usually have some roasted barley.

I think a Scottish Ale is the closest ale style to an Octoberfest, though a moctoberfest using US-05 sounds pretty good also. Orfy's Hobgoblin is one of the best malty ale recipes I have done and I had several women who have tried it appreciate it. They liked that it was sweet.

Craig
 
Again, thanks for the responses. This is very good information.

I'm thinking a Scottish 80/- or Mocktoberfest would fit the bill nicely. The mild ale recipe above looks good too. I've always been intrigued by the steam beer idea but I've never tasted one commercially or otherwise so that should probably wait for now.
 
Can't claim credit for this recipe... I stole it from somewhere and modified it to work for me.... very smooth. YMMV

October Ale

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 170.87 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.051 (1.050 - 1.057)
Terminal Gravity: 1.013 (1.012 - 1.016)
Color: 13.59 (7.0 - 14.0)
Alcohol: 5.05% (4.8% - 5.7%)
Bitterness: 23.6 (20.0 - 28.0)

Ingredients:
3.5 lb American Munich
1.0 lb Dark Munich Malt
3.0 lb Vienna Malt
2.0 lb 2-Row Brewers Malt
0.1 lb 2-Row Carapils® Malt
0.5 lb 2-Row Caramel Malt 60L
1.0 tsp Irish Moss - added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
0.5 oz Vanguard (5.8%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
0.25 oz Sterling (7.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
1.0 oz Crystal (3.2%) - added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
0.0 ea Fermentis US-05 Safale US-05
 
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